"I'm Sooo Tired"

Just thought I'd throw a Beatles quote up there since I'm all about spreading the love for the Beach Boys over at Mostly Funny. I just wrote a really long post about Pet Sounds over there, detailing why I think it's better than Sgt. Pepper's or Revolver. It is long. Like, really long. I use a lot of commas in it as well as a few big words. It can be read here. I am now going to bed. Goodnight. And keep the noise down, okay?

Wow

This just blew my mind. Seriously. Wow.

Inspiration/Comics/Housecleaning/Kittens

First off, there was a Madman preview up over at Newsarama a week or so ago that I never got around to posting a link to. Well, here it is.

I'm really excited about getting a monthly fix of the intrepid Madman of Snap City. Mike's art is looking sleeker that it previously had. I've not been overly excited about his inking since he switched over to using solely brushes (sometime around the "Heaven & Hell/G-Men From Hell" storyline that was effectively the last we heard of Frank Einstein, barring his appearances in the Atomics) - the detail that was such a great part of his earlier work disappeared - but this is looking good. The second page especially. Those facial expressions! I love the title of the issue, too: "Jumping Silent Cars That Sleep At Traffic Lights." How cool is that? I'm gushing, aren't I? Sorry, I just love me some Madman. It's super ginchy. Okay, I'll stop now.

Speaking (Typing?) of comics, I'm thinking that, once we move - wherever that may be - I'm switching over to solely trades except in "special cases": All-Star Superman, Madman any Nextwave minis... you know, the essentials. Otherwise, if I'm not interested enough to pick up the trade, I should be able to just go without. Can I do it? Can I "live strong?" Maybe I should get a bracelet or something to help remind me to "live strong" and not buy any comics? That'd be a good idea. Somebody should make that. It could be yellow and just say something like "Live Strong," on it. I'm gonna make that. I could give the proceeds to helping people with serious problems, like people who watch Grey's Anatomy. Or people with six fingers on their left hand. You know, people with real problems. Man, I've got some good ideas sometimes.

Also, big ups, as we say in da hood, to those people who voted in the Battle of the UnBands. I'll start on the Pink Barbarians poster soon and have voting open up on round two probably next week. Also, as far as voting goes, I will be bribing you next time, so be prepared to compromise your morals for free stuff.

And finally: kittens. Ain't they cute?

Seacrest out.

This Video Also Rules

A former classmate pointed me in the direction of this clip. It pretty much rules. I mean, the sheer insanity of taking and editing all of this together, the fact the dude in the video looks like the 80's Superman/the Phone Call kid... just the overall super-ultra-radness of this clip seal its place firmly in the "Rules," category.

Also, expect some sort of announcement on the Battle of the UnBands tomorrow. For those of you that voted - cheers. Those of you that didn't... shame on you. You made America cry. G'night.

Check My Haul *(Boughs Of Holly Not Included)

First off, go vote in the battle of the UnBands. Secondly, it's snowing outside and it's sort of hardcore. The snowflakes are roughly the same size as cornflakes. Delicious. Anyway, let's get down to brass tacks.

So, this post has been waiting to get out for a while. This Christmas, with graduation & all, I made out like a bandit. Yes, The Mister Burt Reynolds himself would have been envious of my Bandit-ness. Here's some of the cool stuff I scored:

First off are these little guys that Candace got for me. She rocked the house this year, as she always does. They're Uni-Po figures that are designed by Unkl and they're awesome. She got them through Rotofugi, one of the better U.S.-based urban vinyl stores (it's in Chicago - Brandt? Have you been?)... maybe even better than KidRobot? I dunno. That's a tough call because KidRobot's pretty cool. I do know that Rotofugi's logo is Abe Lincoln with an eyepatch and that, I can get behind.

Candace also got me this sweet little volume that I've had my eye on for quite some time. I've been obsessed with Luchadores for a while now and this book, which is essentially a photojournal about the whole culture in its native Mexico is quite awesome. Expect to be seeing a homemade lucha shirt sometime soon.

My mom got me this book, which has some pretty cool projects in. It's just like a really big Readymade issue: there are some cool, do-able projects, and a few that make you go, "Well, no thanks." Also, the cover for this thing is cool, with the exposed bookboard. I'm thinking I'll use that idea on either my leave-behind portfolio or the portfolio proper.

My parents also got me this scanner, which I've already sang the praises of here, and it's incredibly cool to have a scanner right there instead of having to go down to campus whenever I needed some scanning done. This thing is super-light, too and draws power esclusively from the USB port, so no power cord to worry about. It's sweet. Anyway.

I also snagged this Xbox from my parent house which had been just sitting there for a while. I picked up some games used for cheap and am now thoroughly engrossed in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: the Sith Lords which I'm sure Candace is sick of by now. It's an RPG which stands for "You Have To Play It Forever In Order To Beat It And I Do Mean Forever Like For Reals."

Additionally, which I didn't get photographed, I got a Speedball silk-screening kit which I'm dying to try out. I'm sort of immersing myself in it before I dip my toes in, but it's exciting to get started learning it, as it's something I've been wanting to know how to do ever since we had a scout sctivity where we silkscreened shirts in out leader's garage.

I also got some iTunes gift cards, which are always a great idea, (thanks to the Brennan's and Russel/Caitlin... you guys rule) which bought me some more albums, because I don't have enough of those. Seriously, my music is out of control. Soon will come the day when I must box up that wall of CD's and it's scaring me.

Anyway, so that's my stuff. I know that stuff isn't what life's all about, really I do, but I just wanted to share my cool stuff with you. Cause we're tight like that.

Uncle Sam Here...

Reminding you to vote for your favorite in the Battle of the UnBands. The posts to comment on is here. So far the Pink Barbarians have two, count 'em two, votes and Hamburger Helper has one. The voting booths close on Monday, so get in there and let your voice be heard! (Wow, this has been quite the political week for me hasn't it?)

Quote For the Day

"No blinding insights emerged from these months of conversation. If anything, what struck me was just how modest people's hopes were, and how much of what they believed seemed to hold constant across race, region, religion and class. Most of them thought that anybody willing to work should be able to find a job that paid a living wage. They figured that people shouldn't have to file for bankruptcy because they got sick. They believed that every child should have a genuinely good education - that it shouldn't be a bunch of talk - and that those same children should be able to go to college even if their parents weren't rich. They wanted to be safe, from criminals and from terrorists; they wanted clean air, clean water and time with their kids. And when they got old, they wanted to be able to retire with some dignity and respect.

"That was about it. It wasn't much. And although they understood that how they did in life depended mostly on their own efforts - although they didn't expect government to solve all their problems, and certainly didn't like seeing all their tax dollars wasted - they figured that government should help.

I told them that they were right: government couldn't solve all their problems. But with a slight change in priorities we could make sure every child had a decent shot at life and meet the challenges we faced as a nation. More often than not, folks would nod in agreement and ask how they could get involved. And by the time I was back on the road, with a map on the passenger's seat, on my way to my next stop, I knew once again just why I'd gone into politics.

"I felt like working harder that I'd ever worked in my life."

Barack Obama
The Audacity of Hope
Prologue, p.7

Boom Goes the Dynamite!

Well. It is, apparently, a Glory Hallelujah day. The site's up. Check her out and tell me what you think.

Also, make sure to get your votes in for the battle of the UnBands. Click here to leave a comment. So far, its... uh, one vote for the Pink Barbarians. Come on people, exercise you Constitutional right to vote on ridiculous stuff. No wonder the terrorists hate us.

Another Cool Music Video

LCD Soundsystem, "Tribulations." Great song. Great video. And now I'm at 17 posts for 17 days. High five!

Battle of the UnBands

If you're going to steal, steal from the best. My former instructor, the illustrious (pun intended) Scott Franson, posts on his blog from time to time the cover to an UnBook: a book that has never been, and may never be, written. This is a great idea. So... I'm going to steal it.

I was bored last night and started writing down band names on Post-It notes to kill time. I thought to myself, "Self, you should rip off the UnBook idea. Only you could do UnBands. UnBands. Uni-Bands? Who has Uni-Bands? Is it Captain Marvel? No, those are Nega-Bands. They make him and Rick Jones trade places. No, somebody else has Uni-Bands. Captain Universe? Yeah, that's who it was. Anyway, what was I thinking? Oh yeah, UnBands. Concert posters, t-shirts and CD covers for bands that don't, and maybe shouldn't, exist. And you could have people vote for which one you do. Also, this job sucks."

So, here's the first three band names. Which would you like to see make it to the big time?

* Ghost Rock
* the Pink Barbarians
* Hamburger Helper

Voting ends next Monday! Get your votes in now! Vote early! Vote often! It's the American way! George Washington would do it if he weren't busy fighting off hordes of the undead to make America safe from zombies! Exclamation Mark!

!